The staff [at Princeton IVF] are friendly. You see the doctor every time. He does everything: all the ultrasounds. So you can speak to him. They do the egg retrieval and embryo transfer off-site at Abbington. I found out later that the success of IVF also depends very much on the skill of the embryologist. Abbington is fine, but it is not a high volume facility. I would rate it as average.

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Age

37 - 38

Treated

2015 - 2016

Success with this Doc

No

Race

European

Income

$100K - $199K

Occupation

—

Order & Number of Docs Seen

1 Doc Seen

Treatment

3 IUI, 1 IVF

Diagnosis

Anovulation, Diminished Ovarian Reserve, Poor Egg Quality

7

Describe your experience with Princeton IVF.

It was close to where I live, the partking is free and accessible. It is not as busy as the bigger clinics. The staff are friendly. You see the doctor every time. He does everything: all the ultrasounds. So you can speak to him.
They do the egg retrieval and embryo transfer off-site at Abbington. I found out later that the success of IVF also depends very much on the skill of the embryologist. Abbington is fine, but it is not a high volume facility. I would rate it as average.

During treatment, did you feel like you were treated like a number or a human?

I did not receive enough details such as my test results, and he did not give good explanations about recommended choices.

Describe your experience with your nurse.

The staff are friendly. It is difficult to reach them by telephone, but they will reply when you leave a voice message. They did not do a good job explaining the injection teaching. One time, they had to ask Dr Derman to explain the site of injection. Another time, she had to ask Dr Derman about which side and location to inject.

How was your experience with Seth Derman?

I think he is trying his best, but he does not explain what is happening with each cycle. Since this is a small clinic, I see him every time, so one expects more explanations about the prognosis of my cycle. However, he is also busy, so he does not always remember exactly the treatment protocol. It is important to be proactive by reminding him of my exact protocol. Having said this, the procedures were performed on time and properly.
Since I was a poor responder, I would gave appreciated that he let me know to escalate sooner towards IVF, than to spend an extra cycle on Femara and an extra one on IUIs. After 1 cancelled IVF cycle and 1 failed IVF cycle, he was willing to attempt 1 more IVF cycle, but I declines and decided to switch to another clinic.
The next clinic declined to treat me because of my high Day 3 FSH level. So in retropsect, it is appreciated that Dr Derman was willing to try one my IVF cycle. Nevertheless, I contacted 4 more clinics and I am now trying a new protocol elsewhere.

What one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Seth Derman?

Ask about the different protocols he uses and why he is selecting the patricular one for you.

Describe the protocols Seth Derman used in your cycles and their degree of success.

First started with Femara. He prefers this to Clomid. We did 4 cycles, each at an escalating dosage, because I was not responding to the previous lower dosages. None of the cycles were successful.
I then went to injectibles and IUI using Follistim. The first cycle was at 75 IU and I had a hormone surge. The next two cycles, Follistim was increased to 150 IU and ganirelix was used to prevent the surge. All three IUI cycles were not succesful, so I moved to IVF. I am a poor responder. Each time only led to 1 (or 2 at best) mature follicles. We found this out during the IUI and IVF cycles.
The first IVF cycle used Gonal + Menopur + Ganirelix (to prevent LH surge). Unfortunately, I still had an LH surge and the cycle was cancelled. The second IVF cycle used Follistim + Menopur + Lupron (to supress the LH surge). This got me to egg retrieval, ICSI, and then transfer on day 3. Unfortunately, the cycle was not successful.

Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments.

They are between 6 am - 9 am. Sometimes, the wait can be very busy. Most times, there is only 2-3 people ahead of me.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Seth Derman.

I had a good insurance plan, so I did not pay very much, fortunately.

5

Doctor

Seth Derman

Communication

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Frequency seen during appointments

7

Clinic

Princeton IVF

LAWRENCEVILLE

Nursing

Operations

Scheduling

Billing

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

– Read less

0

Age

31 - 32

Treated

2015 - 2016

Success with this Doc

No

Treatment

4 IUI, 2 IVF

Diagnosis

Male Factor, Unexplained

0

There were several nurses in the group [at Princeton IVF]. We saw Louise the most. She was extremely helpful in doing the bloodwork and handling a fear of needles. She was very instructive for how to perform the injections and showed a lot of compassion overall...Strengths: It's a smaller office. So depending on your interaction, you may feel as if you have a more personalized treatment. Weaknesses: The doctor and the front desk staff seemed very disorganized. The doctor would ask patients to arrive as early as 6AM but he wouldn't show up to the office until 6:45 or 7AM, making patients fill up the waiting area. We were very frustrated with often waiting over an hour just for bloodwork or an ultrasound...

+ Read more

Age

31 - 32

Treated

2015 - 2016

Success with this Doc

No

Race

European

Income

$100K - $199K

Occupation

Engineer

Order & Number of Docs Seen

1st of 2 Docs

Treatment

4 IUI, 2 IVF

Diagnosis

Male Factor, Unexplained

0

Describe your experience with Princeton IVF.

Strengths: It's a smaller office. So depending on your interaction, you may feel as if you have a more personalized treatment.
Weaknesses: The doctor and the front desk staff seemed very disorganized. The doctor would ask patients to arrive as early as 6AM but he wouldn't show up to the office until 6:45 or 7AM, making patients fill up the waiting area. We were very frustrated with often waiting over an hour just for bloodwork or an ultrasound. Since moving from this clinic, we have never experienced that elsewhere.

During treatment, did you feel like you were treated like a number or a human?

We felt as if they were taking on far more patients than the office can handle. They would power us through leaving little time for questions during meetings. A wait of 45 minutes or more was not uncommon in morning bloodwork or ultrasounds.

Describe your experience with your nurse.

There were several nurses in the group. We saw Louise the most. She was extremely helpful in doing the bloodwork and handling a fear of needles. She was very instructive for how to perform the injections and showed a lot of compassion overall.

What specific things went wrong at this clinic?

Lost paperwork

Lost appointments

Failed to call with results

Failed to inform you of changes in protocol

How was your experience with Seth Derman?

Dr. Derman seemed very knowledgeable in the infertility domain. But he would often very quickly explain things and move on without us having an opportunity to openly ask questions. I found myself trying to write notes down as fast as possible to keep up. While every time he said he'd provide paperwork and material for us, we never received any. Moreover, there were critical times when we were supposed to start/stop medications and we would not get calls from him. We had to remind him of the treatment sometimes, which was a bit concerning.

What one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Seth Derman?

Do your research. Interview at least two other doctors or groups along with Derman and decide based on who is the best fit for you. Dr. Derman may be good for some, but he wasn't for us.

Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments.

It was "a cattle call with a line around the corner". Very rarely did we wait less than 15 minutes. Most often it was 30 minutes or more, and in some cases over 1.5 hours wait. There were times when the front desk staff wouldn't even look at the clipboard for over 15 minutes.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Seth Derman.

All of our expenses were covered under a co-pay (IUI and IVF), except for IVF injections which ended up having a co-pay of about $250.

0

Doctor

Seth Derman

Communication

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Frequency seen during appointments

0

Clinic

Princeton IVF

LAWRENCEVILLE

Nursing

Operations

Scheduling

Billing

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

– Read less

0

Age

28

Treated

2016

Success with this Doc

No

Treatment

2 IVF

Diagnosis

Anovulation, PCOS, Other

0

This clinic [Princeton IVF] was unable to send specific required records to our new doctors after we switched. They also were unable to correctly interpret the results of genetic testing, leading them to miscount the number of healthy embryos we had available to transfer...Bloodwork began at 6am, but ultrasounds did not begin until 7am. Both were first-come, first-serve, which meant arriving before 6am, and then waiting for over an hour to be seen after blood was taken.

+ Read more

Age

28

Treated

2016

Success with this Doc

No

Race

Ashkenazi Jewish

Income

$100K - $199K

Occupation

—

Order & Number of Docs Seen

1st of 2 Docs

Treatment

2 IVF

Diagnosis

Anovulation, PCOS, Other

0

Describe your experience with Princeton IVF.

We were very unhappy with our experience, and recommend that any prospective patients look elsewhere for treatment.

During treatment, did you feel like you were treated like a number or a human?

After a miscarriage, Dr. Derman was extremely perfunctory in his interactions with us.

Describe your experience with the nursing staff.

The nursing staff were not competent phlebotomists, and were completely unable to give a straight answer to basic questions about treatments and timelines.

What specific things went wrong at this clinic?

Lost paperwork

Failed to order appropriate test

Failed to send your chart to another clinic

Lost results

Provided conflicting information

Failed to convey critical information

How was your experience with Seth Derman?

My husband and I did not have a positive experience with Dr. Derman. We ultimately had to pursue IVF, so we could test our embryos for a genetic disorder. The stimulation protocol used by Dr. Derman was extremely long –
about four weeks – and we later learned that it is an older protocol that is generally only used in specific circumstances, when the newer, shorter protocols are inappropriate. One downside to the older process is the possibility of overstimulation, which resulted in a week of extreme discomfort following egg retrieval.
Our first FET was successful, but ultimately resulted in a miscarriage. Dr. Derman was extremely perfunctory in his interactions with us following the miscarriage.
This turned out to be a missed miscarriage necessitating a D and C, which Dr. Derman performed. Significant discomfort and nausea persisted for several days after the procedure, at which point we decided to switch doctors.
During the routine tests with our new doctors, we learned that the D&C was unsuccessful, and a second would be required. Dr. Derman had neglected to take the customary step of confirming via bloodwork that the D&C had been successful. I experienced significant complications during the second D&C in the form of a severe hemorrhage, which necessitated a much longer recovery and additional subsequent testing than would otherwise have been the case.
Overall, we are extremely unhappy with our experiences with Dr. Derman. He uses older protocols rather than the most up-to- date techniques, neglects to follow up to ensure that procedures are successful, and lacks any compassion in the event of a miscarriage. We strongly recommend anyone considering his practice to go elsewhere.

What one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Seth Derman?

We strongly recommend anyone considering his practice to go elsewhere.

Describe the protocols Seth Derman used in your cycles and their degree of success.

Both my husband and I are carriers for a genetic disease, so we were told we should use IVF with ICSI. The stimulation protocol Dr. Derman uses, we later learned, is somewhat outdated and now more commonly used only under specific circumstances.

Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments.

Bloodwork began at 6am, but ultrasounds did not begin until 7am. Both were first-come, first-serve, which meant arriving before 6am, and then waiting for over an hour to be seen after blood was taken.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Seth Derman.

We had to pay office copays and embryo cryo and storage fees.

0

Doctor

Seth Derman

Communication

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Frequency seen during appointments

0

Clinic

Princeton IVF

LAWRENCEVILLE

Nursing

Operations

Scheduling

Billing

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

– Read less

4

Age

35 - 37

Treated

2010 - 2012

Success with this Doc

No

Treatment

5 IUI, 3 IVF, Donor Eggs

Diagnosis

Poor Egg Quality

4

The waits to be monitored were extremely lengthy, the nurses were not personable, and you were quickly moved in and out. It was also extremely difficult to get a person on the phone. In fact, I never had a live person answer the phone any of the times that I called.

+ Read more

Age

35 - 37

Treated

2010 - 2012

Success with this Doc

No

Race

Other

Income

$200K - $499K

Occupation

—

Order & Number of Docs Seen

1st of 2 Docs

Treatment

5 IUI, 3 IVF, Donor Eggs

Diagnosis

Poor Egg Quality

4

During treatment, did you feel like you were treated like a number or a human?

I spent a long time at this clinic. The waits to be monitored were extremely lengthy, the nurses were not personable, and you were quickly moved in and out. It was also extremely difficult to get a person on the phone. In fact, I never had a live person answer the phone any of the times that I called. I always had to leave a message.

Describe your experience with the nursing staff.

I think this is where I really struggled with this clinic. The turnaround of staff was constant. The nurses often appeared to be stressed out, and playing many different roles in the lab and the clinic. I spent years at this clinic, and no one really ever addressed me on a personal level. I felt like the nurses could have been more compassionate.

What specific things went wrong at this clinic?

Lost appointments

Failed to call with results

How was your experience with Seth Derman?

Dr. Derman was the only doctor at this practice (I am not sure if this has changed). It was a small practice, so the staff was often overwhelmed. Dr. Derman was great with responding to emails, but he was difficult to get in touch with otherwise. I felt that a lot of the decision making was made by the Physician's Assistant, rather than the doctor.

What one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Seth Derman?

Stay on top of everything.

Describe the protocols Seth Derman used in your cycles and their degree of success.

Dr. Derman did try different protocols with me. He did change medications from one round to the next. I honestly don't remember the details. My first round of IVF resulted in a chemical pregnancy. Dr. Derman was willing to let me go back to IUI while I was trying to figure out my insurance, rather than pushing forward with another round of IVF.

Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments.

Monitoring appointments were first come, first serve. I would often get there about an hour before they began so that I could ensure that I would be able to be seen and get to work on time. The wait time was very long. You were called in for bloodworm first, then back to the waiting room, and later called back for ultrasound. On my first visit there, I had to ask what the procedure was because no one had explained anything to me.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Seth Derman.

I was fortunate to have great health insurance, so I was primarily responsible for copays.

5

Doctor

Seth Derman

Communication

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Frequency seen during appointments

4

Clinic

Princeton IVF

LAWRENCEVILLE

Nursing

Operations

Scheduling

Billing

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

– Read less

10

Age

38 - 39

Treated

2014 - 2015

Success with this Doc

Yes

Treatment

3 IUI, 2 IVF

Diagnosis

PCOS, Poor Egg Quality, Uterine Fibroids, Unexplained

10

The IVF team in fabulous. They are very friendly, accommodating and took great care of us. I was able to speak with a nurse or doctor easily and quickly.

+ Read more

Age

38 - 39

Treated

2014 - 2015

Success with this Doc

Yes

Race

South Asian

Income

$50K - $99K

Occupation

—

Order & Number of Docs Seen

1 Doc Seen

Treatment

3 IUI, 2 IVF

Diagnosis

PCOS, Poor Egg Quality, Uterine Fibroids, Unexplained

10

During treatment, did you feel like you were treated like a number or a human?

The IVF team in fabulous. They are very friendly, accommodating and took great care of us. I was able to speak with a nurse or doctor easily and quickly. Even during some complications, the Dr. Derman and his PA were by my bedside at the hospital.

Describe your experience with the nursing staff.

The IVF team is small, Dr. Derman, his PA Dr. Grober and 2 or 3 nurses. Dr. Grober is awesome. Everything I go there I end up chatting with the team on a personal family/friendly level. I never feel like a patient.

How was your experience with Seth Derman?

Having Dr. Derman as your doctor wad great. I never felt like a patient. Every appointment felt like visiting family/friends. He was very knowledgeable, patient and thorough.

What one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Seth Derman?

I would just say is you can go to Dr. Derman openly and freely. He is patient and thorough. He will answer all you questions.

Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments.

They had a set hours in the morning for ultrasound. However, you were still giving an appt. All the appointments were fast.